What’s Next for Drummond, Hawkins & Jackson Jr.? Evaluating Trade Destinations
Huskies on the trade block?
The NBA trade deadline is just three days away, set for Thursday February 5th at 3pm ET. So far it has been reported that the Philadelphia 76ers are “open to trading Andre Drummond” according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, Jordan Hawkins of the New Orleans Pelicans and Andre Jackson Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks have both had a tough time earning any meaningful minutes on the court this season.
So which teams should consider trading for this trio of Huskies? Let’s take a dive…
Andre Drummond
When given the opportunity, Andre Drummond has shown that he can still dominate inside the paint. The 32-year-old has recorded 11 double-doubles this season, including five straight during the month of November, but his playing time has gone down each month this season. He averaged 26.0 minutes in November, 18.9 in December and 14.0 minutes per game in January. A major part of the decline in minutes came after Joel Emiid returned to the starting lineup, following his recovery from knee soreness, but Drummond has still proven that he can produce at a high level in Year 14.
Several teams could benefit from adding a player like Drummond to help bolster their roster and rebounding depth ahead of the postseason:
1. Orlando Magic (5th fewest toal rebounds in NBA, current 8-seed in Eastern Conference)
2. Denver Nuggets (6th fewest total rebounds in NBA, current 3 seed in the Western Conference
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (10th fewest total rebounds NBA, current 1-seed in the Western Conference)
Drummond, who has made a surprisingly career-high 17 three-pointers this year (17-47, 36.2%), will be a free agent during the upcoming offseason.
Jordan Hawkins
The past year and a half has been frustrating for Jordan Hawkins and the New Orleans Pelicans. Not only are the Pelicans struggling to be a competive team, but the former Husky is also having a tough time cracking the lineup.
Last season, Hawkins averaged 10.8 points per game on 33.1 percent shooting from behind the arc with eight 20 plus point games, three more than his rookie season. However, recurring back injuries limited Hawk to appear in just 56 out of the 82 team’s games.
After sitting out in the Pelicans 124-114 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers this past Saturday, Hawkins has now sat out for six straight games, all via a “Coach’s Decision.” He has posted multiple career-lows including points per game (4.3), three-point field goal percentage (30.1%) and minutes per game (14.1) this season.
If the Pelicans want to trade away their 2023 lottery pick, here are some teams that struggle from three and should consider trading for a hungry, yet talented three-point shooter:
1. Detroit Pistons (531 made three’s, Fewest made in the NBA--531, current 1-seed in the Eastern Conference)
2. Houston Rockets (533 made three’s, tied for 3rd fewest in the NBA, current 4-seed in the Western Conference)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (575 made three’s, seventh fewest in the NBA, current 6-seed in the Western Conference)
Hawkins has one year left on his rookie deal, which includes a Pelicans team option worth approximately $7.02 million next season.
Andre Jackson Jr.
After starting in 43 out of 67 games last season (64.2%), Jackson Jr. has made just five first half appearances, including only three first quarter runs this season.
If the Milwaukee Bucks choose to move on from Jackson Jr., below are a few teams that he could help provide a spark off the bench for. These teams are ranked the bottom half of the NBA in both assists and bench points this season.
1. Phoenix Suns (Current 7-seed in the Western Conference)
2. Boston Celtics (Currently tied for the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference)
3. San Antonio Spurs (Current 2-seed in the Western Conference)
Jackson Jr. has one year left on his rookie deal, which includes a Bucks team option worth approximately $2.4 million next season.
Be sure to stay connected with HuskyPros/X to find out the latest news if any our former Huskies do get moved before Thursday’s deadline!
Stephon Castle
After scoring 16 points on Wednesday, Castle recorded another 16-point effort on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. He shot 5-of-11 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, 5-of-6 from the line while adding five rebounds, nine assists to just three turnovers in 35 minutes. However, the San Antiono Spurs fell on the road to the surging Hornets, 111-106.
Steph did not play on Sunday when the Spurs hosted the Orlando Magic due to an adductor injury. The severity of the injury is unclear at the time of publication. Earlier this season, Castle missed 10 straight games due to a left hip flexor strain.
Donovan Clingan
On Friday, Clingan was back at Madison Square Garden, where he dominated Marquette with 22 points and 16 rebounds in the 2024 Big East Championship game. This time, the game went much differently as Clingan was held to seven points and six rebounds, his fewest in the month of January. The New York Knicks came out on top with the 127-97 victory.
Then on Sunday night, Clingan scored all eight of his points in the second half in the Blazers 130-111 lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. DC grabbed 12 rebounds with five assists and four blocks. The Trail Blazers (23-27) have lost five straight games but still hold the 10th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference by 3.5 games over the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Cam Spencer
After shooting 2-of-13 from the field (15.4%) and 0-of-9 from three in his previous two games, Spencer had a solid bounce back effort this past Friday night in the Memphis Grizzlies 114-106 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans. The 2024 First-Team All-Big East member scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 4-of-4 from behind the arc while dishing out three assists in 24 minutes. It’s the third time this month, and ninth time this season, that Spencer has connected on at least four three-pointers in a game.
On Saturday night, Spencer scored just five points along with five assists in the Grizzlies 131-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is worth noting that Spencer came off the bench in this contest, not because Ja Morant returned, but former Virginia Cavalier Ty Jerome made his season-debut.
Jerome missed the first 46 games of the season after suffering a right calf strain during the preseason. He scored a team-high 20 points and had six assists. Spencer still played 25 minutes—he averaged 26.1 minutes per game during the month of January. However, the Grizzlies (18-29) are spiraling right now after losing their sixth straight game and their best player, Ja Morant is not expected to return from injury for at least another few weeks. With Jerome back and Scottie Pippen Jr.—who played 79 games and shot nearly 40% from three last season—is expected to return from a toe injury in the near future. The Grizzlies might be shaking up some lineups and rotations to try and get back in the playoff picture.
Tristen Newton (G-League)
Newton’s four-game streak of 30 plus points was snapped Sunday after scoring 10 points in the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ (Houston Rockets G-League affiliate) 109-94 victory against the Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder G-League affiliate). The G-League star was held to 3-of-13 shooting including 2-of-9 from three and 1-of-1 from the free throw line. During the four-game 30 plus point streak, Newton averaged 33.0 points per game on 48-of-86 from the field (55.8%), 16-of-36 from behind the arc (44.4%) and 14-of-18 from the free throw line (77.8%).
Liam McNeeley (NBA/G-League)
The Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets G-League affiliate) were off for five days, so McNeeley was called back up to the Charlotte Hornets this past Tuesday January 27th for a few days. He appeared in one game on Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, missing his only two shot attempts in six minutes. He was sent back down to Greenbsoro on Friday and that night played 28 minutes in the Swarm’s 115-110 loss to the Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls G-League affiliate). McNeleey scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. He also contributed five rebounds, five assists and stole a G-League career-high three steals.
Tyler Polley (G-League)
For the second time during the month of January, Polley scored in double-digits as the 2021 Big East Sixth Man of the Year poured in 13 points. He shot an efficient 5-of-6 shooting, 1-of-2 from three and 1-of-1 from the free throw line in the College Park Sky Hawks (Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate) 132-112 loss to the San Diego Clippers (Los Angeles Clipper G-League affiliate).
James Bouknight (G-League)
Perhaps Bouknight played with a little extra motivation on Sunday after scoring a team-high 26 points against his former team/organization, the Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers G-League affiliate). The 2021 First Team All-Big East member shot 9-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-10 from three and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. The big-time effort helped the Mexico City Capitanes (No NBA affiliate) take down the Remix 130-104.
Bouknight played 23 games for the Remix last season, averaging 12.7 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Samson Johnson (G-League)
Johnson had two solid games against the Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans G-League affiliate) this past weekend. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 8-of-15 from the field (53.3%). Johnson swatted one shot on Friday and two more on Sunday as the Noblesville Boom (Indiana Pacers G-League affiliate) won back-to-back games against the Squadron.
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